


Supernova

by SapphicReverie



Category: Last Tango In Halifax
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:54:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28644048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphicReverie/pseuds/SapphicReverie
Summary: A follow up to "If You Only Knew", this takes place after an eye-opening trip to the Hebden Women's Disco.
Relationships: Gillian Greenwood/Caroline McKenzie-Dawson
Comments: 9
Kudos: 29





	Supernova

**Author's Note:**

> Though I'm not sure I'm entirely thrilled with this, the idea struck and with all the shit news from the last few days (yea...that fuckery), I desired a little feel-good distraction. Hopefully it will put a smile on your face as well. Cheers and good health and well wishes to you all!

The grip of liquid courage wanes as they navigate the rolling dales by starlight, allowing the fitful dance of butterflies to fully seize hold of their bellies. The Landy’s cabin is cosmically quiet, though the air fizzles with the same vibrant energy as the galaxy that paints the sky above them; a great, swirling mass of star matter, on the verge of exploding into a brilliant supernova. A hot snog in a crowded club having pushed the building mass of internal longing to the brink of combustion.

Gillian feels the static buzz of the unspoken in the air, and hazards a nervous side glance in Caroline’s direction, searching her half visible profile in the dark for any indication of the thoughts that undoubtedly swirl in her always ticking brain. She knows that her feelings for the posh blonde are too far past the point of changing, after years of steady growth toward these romantic inclinations, and she suspects the same applies for her sort of stepsister, but worry tugs at her insides at the possibility that with the gin haze clearing (and the absence of eye-rollingly serendipitous 90s pop tunes) so too will Caroline’s courage to act upon those feelings. She knows the external complications for a romantic relationship between them are stacked higher than a dubiously piled tower of spaghetti served up by some sweet Italian grandmother, but she’s willing to take the risk because no other romantic interest she’s had in life has ever come anywhere close to the infuriating near perfection that is Caroline. The thought of laughing it off as merely a drunken gaffe has her chewing feverishly at the inside of her cheek and she wonders briefly if she’ll have a hole in it by the time they reach Caroline’s.

In the passenger seat Caroline shifts with a quick inhale, her face turning from the window to look at Gillian. “Gillian….I can hear you gnawing,” she gently chides with a doting smile as she watches the sheep farmer’s profile in the low light. “S-sorry,” Gillian whispers, stopping her anxious mastication and casting a brief glance towards the passenger seat to offer a timid half smile. Caroline doesn’t respond, she simply continues watching Gillian absent-mindedly resume working her cheek to a pulp for a few moments, lost in her own thoughts about the sudden sequence of events from earlier this evening. Her smile widens as she recalls the kiss and her cheeks tingle with a rosy blush when she remembers Gillian’s teasing response.  _ “Took you long enough.”  _ Cheeky twat.

She knew Gillian was right though, and so she’s spent the quiet ride from Hebden finally allowing herself to search her memories to pinpoint the exact moment of her emotional shift. Analysis concludes that it wasn’t a singular moment at all, but rather a series of moments expanding the near decade of their connection, all sublimely aligning into a perfect collage representing love. Culminating tonight in the kiss that had been a long time coming. Tender, loving, full of fiery promise, and despite the swirl of activity around them, it felt like coming home. No other kiss before had felt quite like  _ that  _ and at this point she’s not quite sure whether to be terrified or giddy.

The sound of gravel crunching beneath the tires draws her focus and she follows the headlight beams when they stretch and disappear into the inky distance across the garden as Gillian pulls up next to the Jaguar and turns off the ignition. They sit in silence for a moment, both staring out at the moon that hangs pale and high, flanked by soft dustings of stars that cast their twinkling glow from a cloudless midnight sky. Finally Gillian moves, sliding out of the Landy and softly closing the door. Caroline watches her as she rounds the front of the red behemoth, narrow shoulders and head just visible over the bonnet as she moves to the passenger’s side, and a shy smile involuntarily spreads across her face as she realizes what the other woman is doing.

Drawing the door open Gillian extends her hand, all chivalry in a low cut dress as she offers assistance to the fair maiden, and Caroline’s heart (among other things) practically melts and gushes into a puddle at her feet. She accepts the proffered aid and meets Gillian’s bashful jade eyes as she steps onto the drive and allows the shorter woman to lead her to the front of the car. They lean against the bonnet, still warm from the engine, and stare up into the sky, watching the soft twinkle of the constellations overhead. “It’s beautiful, innuit?” Gillian whispers, her shoulder pressing gently into Caroline’s while she stares up into the cosmos. “Mmm,” Caroline hums, “I forget how bright it is out here, away from all the lights in town.” They fall into a comfortable silence, admiring the wide blanket of stars overhead that twinkle in shades of blue-white, eventually fading to a soft blue-black canvas on the horizon.

Caroline’s stomach flutters wildly when she feels a warm knuckle graze the back of her hand, before gentle fingers wrap around her palm. She dips her chin, casting a shy glance between them as their fingers slowly weave together and Gillian leans closer, eventually resting her head on Caroline’s shoulder. Caroline smiles and tilts into the touch, resting her cheek on the top of the farmer’s head, closing her eyes as she deeply breathes the softly floral scent of her hair. The silence stretches and Caroline discovers that there’s no urge to fill it, that simply being near Gillian fills her with a surprising sense of calm and she nearly laughs aloud at herself for not having noticed it before. Suddenly, a gentle vibration tickles her bicep and she looks down to see the sweep of goosebumps that appear across the delicious olive skin of Gillian’s decolletage and the subtle shake of her breasts as she’s seized by a small shiver. “Alright, inside; you’re freezing,” she softly coos as she shifts off of the hood and gently tugs at Gillian’s hand with a tender smile. 

Inside, they’re immediately greeted by the nightwatch- a golden fluff of whimpering, excited energy called Ruth- and Gillian thinks momentarily that she’d be a bit jealous of the dog for the affections she’s currently receiving, if it weren’t for the fact she’s being granted an unrestricted view of Caroline’s fabulous derriere as she bends to bestow said kisses. She follows maid and loyal companion through the kitchen and leans against the wall near the back door, where Caroline lets Ruth out into the garden to do her business. Caroline turns back with a tired smile as she leans against the cabinet and stifles a yawn. “You sure s’right if I stop over?”

“Of course it is.” Her topaz eyes sparkle in the dim glow of the moonlight that streams through the open doorway and Gillian has a hard time looking away, and barely manages to resist the urge to kiss her again as she’s still uncertain of where Caroline now sits on the scale of “Desire to Shag my Sorta Stepsister”. She shifts against the wall, one hand sliding up the other arm to clutch her elbow, and she notices the brief drop of arctic eyes to the deep neckline of her dress as her modest cleavage is pressed upward from her change in position and she feels the instant prickle of heat that creeps up her throat. “Ta. I’ll have the spare room good as new before I go,” she whispers with a modest dip of her head. 

And now, Caroline stutters. Her fingers curl around the edge of the counter for support as she wills herself to put words to her desire, after a single night of only slightly wild abandon has suddenly awakened her to the realization that they’ve spent too long trying to ignore what’s right in front of them. “Actually,” she boldly ventures forth, deciding to take the plunge into the swirling mass of energy between them because she registers now that she’s finally fucking done with pretending. “I was hoping...you might stay...in mine.” She lifts her gaze with all the shyness of a teenage boy having just asked his secret crush to the dance. Gillian’s calm, mossy eyes meet her’s and that sly, slightly underbitten smile slowly draws her laugh lines further into her cheeks. 

“Thought you’d never ask,” she finally croons and Caroline doesn’t resist the urge to roll her eyes with an amused shake of her head. “Pillock,” she mewls in response as she watches Gillian cross the short space between them and her body tenses slightly with anticipation as Gillian’s hands settle against her wrists and begin a tentative, slow slide towards her shoulders. Nervous excitement settles high in Caroline’s stomach as she wraps her arms around Gillian’s slender waist and stares into her matcha green eyes, noticing, not for the first time, the magnitude of emotions stored within them. “You sure?” Gillian asks, those same calm eyes now reflecting their usual touch of insecurity as her small hands link around the back of Caroline’s elegant neck. “Have been for a while,” Caroline confesses with a tender smile and Gillian takes her cue, closing the distance between them, and kisses her with the passion of all the years of pent up longing. “Christ,” Caroline whispers breathlessly when Gillian finally ends the kiss and presses their foreheads together. “Take me to bed, Caroline.”

They’re barely in the bedroom before Gillian’s pulling her in again, eager lips pressing long, lazy kisses against the delicate skin of Caroline’s neck as she works up to her jaw and toward the soft dimple of her chin. Caroline sighs softly, riding the surge of heat that slowly rolls through her body as Gillian’s tongue tastes the faint freckles that dust across her cleavage. When Gillian’s hand slips beneath the hem of her shirt, she stiffens slightly and squeezes her eyes shut as she feels the small woman pull away. “You ok?” Her soft eyes reflect a touch of worry as she searches Caroline’s face. “Yea, sorry. But I, um, have to warn you…” Caroline starts, her voice dropping a bit lower and Gillian can see she’s beginning to falter. “My...curves..are no longer exclusively in all the right places.”

Gillian shakes her head dismissively and leans back slightly to meet Caroline’s vulnerable expression. “Well, need I remind you that I have, what was it…’the purposeful frame and carriage of a sixteen year old boy’?” The intended stentorian laugh is produced as Caroline’s head falls back in hearty amusement, cleavage shaking enticingly at the open placket of her blush pink shirt, it’s infectiousness cajoling Gillian into joining. Her chin drops as she returns her gaze briefly to Gillian’s face, laugher still bubbling from her smiling mouth before her azure eyes settle next on the modest swell of Gillian’s breasts and her hand snakes up the shepherdess’ ribs until it comes to rest just above her heart, fingers brushing softly against the dip of her collarbone. “I can assure you that is absolutely untrue,” she mewls with a lazy smile before she dips her head to place an appreciative, delicate kiss upon the skin her fingers caress.

Gillian pushes her to the bed and begins a slow strip tease of them both, alternating an article each, until their bodies are united skin to skin. “You’re beautiful, Caz,” she whispers, staring down into wide sapphire eyes and cradling full, pale breasts until she’s certain Caroline believes her. Their lovemaking vacillates between soft and slow to hot and heavy as they instinctively make up for all the years of silent pining. Though never stated, it’s not lost on either that the depth of feeling and satisfaction from each toe-curling crescendo of pleasure is somehow different and distinctly better than any other before.

Hours later, tired and fully sated, they lie entwined in each other’s arms and watch the first fingers of sunlight as they make a lazy crawl upon the horizon out the window. Caroline sighs as her fingertip traces absentminded patterns into the sharp swell of Gillian’s hip and Gillian turns her face, resting her chin upon the upper swell of Caroline’s left breast as she looks into her eyes. “So...what next?” she ventures bravely. “What do we do about everyone else?” Caroline huffs lackadaisically and squeezes Gillian’s hip as she shakes her head. “Oh….let them eat cake!”

A boisterous laugh tumbles from Gillian’s smiling lips and she gasps when Caroline rolls them over and straddles her right thigh. “What?” she challenges playfully, impish smirk plastered on her rosy lips as she leans forward until her face hovers just above the farmer’s. Gillian doesn’t press her, she knows they’ll have a serious discussion later, and right now she’s more interested in the pleasing sensation of Caroline’s firm nipples as they brush against her own. “As you wish, Madame Antoinette,” she mewls and presses her mouth to Caroline’s for a searing kiss, with the intent of chasing crescendo number four.


End file.
